


Cooking with Poison

by CelestialCelly



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gen, Gladio being stubborn, Hurt/Comfort, Noctis being Noctis, Poisoning, Prompto being skittish, Seizures, Sickfic, Someone please take his coffee!, Vomiting, mama ignis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-11-16 12:46:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18094586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelestialCelly/pseuds/CelestialCelly
Summary: After a dangerous encounter with a Basilisk that left the group in a less than ideal condition, Ignis has to put on his medic hat and make sure that all three of his comrades make it through the poisoning.





	Cooking with Poison

**Author's Note:**

> My first uploaded fic! :D  
> I have absolutely no idea what I was doing when writing this, so do excuse the poor grammar :p

“Gladio, Enough! I can handle it on my own.” Astrals, this was getting harder by the minute to keep the stewing pot of noodles from boiling over. But apparently, Ignis couldn’t take his eyes off them for a _second_.

  
Looking after Noctis alone was bad enough, but now Prompto and Gladio? Ignis was ready to start pulling his hair out. On top of cooking in the middle of the night, the other three members of their small group were violently ill after a dangerous encounter with a basilisk.

  
Luckily for Ignis, he was wearing a star pendant during the battle. Unluckily for the Prince, his best friend and royal shield, they were all affected by the repulsive poisonous mucus that the bird-beast sprayed.

  
And now somehow, Ignis had managed set up most of the campsite on his own, was halfway through making dinner, and had gotten Noct and Prompto to settle down around the fire. The only current problem was Gladiolus, who just wouldn’t sit still and kept insisting on trying to help set up for dinner, even after Ignis had told him repeatedly that he needed to stay put, lest he gets any worse.

  
“C’mon Iggy, I feel fine!” Gladio was barely able to stand upright without holding onto his chair, his face worryingly pale.

  
“Gladiolus, I swear to Shiva-“ Ignis warned.

  
“You better sit down, Gladio. Specs is turning into mum again.” Noct spoke at a volume that Ignis would find more difficult to hear.

  
Although, it didn’t take very long for Ignis to realise what Noctis said, when Prompto failed to stifle a chuckle. “Care to say that again, _Highness_?” Ignis stopped his stirring and shot Noct a glare of daggers.

  
Noctis was about to mumble a sheepish excuse but was interrupted by a loud thud, followed by a wet gurgling noise from somewhere behind his seat.

  
Ignis swore as he watched Gladio’s lunch make a reappearance into one of the shrubs that bordered on the edge of the haven. He didn’t waste a second in dropping his ladle in favour of running to hold back the brunet’s thick hair, lest it gets dirtied.

  
As the smell hit his nose, the strategist wished more and more that they stocked up on antidotes before accepting that hunt. Blast! Someone remind him why Noct bought hair gel over curatives? Once this was all over, he was going to be _certain_ that he was in charge of prioritising their supplies.

  
Well, on the silver lining, at least the poison was starting to make its way out of his body. Even if it meant-

  
Ignis’s thoughts were cut off as Gladio's spine arched over to heave again.

  
Prompto and Noctis cringed at the sight, shuffling closer to each other in seek of comfort. “We’re next... Aren’t we, buddy?” The blond couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from the scene, suddenly feeling more and more nauseous himself as he clutched tighter onto the fleece sleeping bag he had cocooned himself in.

  
Noctis’ audible swallow as Ignis turned his head back with furrowed brows was answer enough.

  
Gladio let out a frustrated groan as he tried to lean himself upright onto his haunches. A swear under his breath as he wiped at the sweat on his forehead, spitting the remaining bile that stuck to his tongue like acid.

  
Ignis briefly pulled out his phone and checked the time, keeping his other hand on Gladiolus’s back steadily.

  
11:56pm. He’d have at least another 9 hours of this before the poison subsided…

  
Pinching his right shimmering glove between his teeth, the tawny haired man slipped his hand free of the leather, and placed his palm against the large man’s forehead.

  
Astrals, he was burning up- even in this cool night.

  
Not convinced that Gladio wouldn’t try to get back up and make himself worse, Ignis remained kneeled at his side. Only looking back every once in a while to check on Noctis and Prompto’s wellbeing, as well as the cooking on the stovetop that he left on a low heat.

  
When Ignis was confident that the nausea had subsided within Gladio, he helped him stand back up and very slowly guided him back to his chair for probably the fourth time that night.

  
“I’m fine, Ig-“

  
“No, Gladio. You are _not_ fine! You are going to sit and _stay_ seated until you have _all_ eaten.” Ignis scolded as he started to pour the chicken noodle soup into four porcelain bowls. He was just about done with Gladio’s shenanigans.

  
As the strategist handed the warm dishes to Noctis and Prompto, Ignis couldn’t help but notice how pallid both of them looked as they shakily tried to eat. It certainly wasn’t the most flavorous meal - He would admit that - but it would help settle their stomachs if only a little.

  
“I don’t suppose you could’ve cooked us something a little tastier, could you, Specs?” Noct did his best to not sound ungrateful, but it didn’t slip Ignis’s gaze that he was barely eating any of it.

  
“Not until I’m certain you won’t be bringing it back up an hour later.” It would be a waste of ingredients and his time if he attempted a meal any more complex.

  
Noctis sighed a nod and forced himself to continue downing the rest of the noodle soup, save for the vegetables he threw into the fire when Ignis had his back turned.

  
When the trio handed emptied their bowls to Ignis for washing - Much to Prompto’s displeasure, since he took pride in helping clean up - did they realise how much energy the poison had taken out of them. Ignis dreaded the thought of how well any of them were going to sleep.

  
Gladio was the first one to call it a night. Prompto wasn’t too far behind him either, but Noctis insisted on staying up for as long as he could to keep Specs company. Ignis appreciated it a lot more than he let on. When he finally finished cleaning the last fork and setting it down on a dish cloth to dry, did he realise how tired Noct actually was.

  
In his chair by the dying campfire, laid the Prince; curled up in his blanket like the small child he remembered playing with when they were young; Soundly asleep.

  
The tall man sighed thoughtfully as he gently scooped Noctis out of his chair and into his arms. It wasn’t the first time he had fallen asleep in a less than ideal place, since the Crystal took a lot of his strength out of him as it were. There had been times where he had to carry him out of the Regalia and into his apartment. Those times, he always woke up baffled as to how he ended up in his own bed in the morning, and somehow never pieced together that Ignis was able to carry him all the way from the garage.

  
As he laid the notoriously heavy sleeper down in his spot and zipped the tent up, Ignis braced himself for a very restless night as he laid on his side next to Noctis facing the wall of the tent.

  
And a restless night was exactly what he got.

  
It wasn’t even his comrades that woke him up, either. It was the howling winds from outside. The advisor had trained himself to be a lighter sleeper than the others, in the event of an emergency. And while it was quite useful at times, he just wished that tonight, he’d be able to rest without disturbance. With a resigned sigh, he pressed the centre button on his phone to check the time again.

  
2:32am. Six and a half hours left. Astrals, please just let them sleep without interruptio-

  
“Iggy?” Prompto groaned weakly, rubbing his eyes. “I can see the light. Am I…dying?” The blond was obviously still half asleep just from the tone of his voice, and perhaps a touch confused from the toxins…

  
“Its only my phone, Prompto. Go back to sleep.” Ignis made sure to keep his voice as low as possible.

  
Don’t wake the others.

  
_For the love of Shiva, don’t wake Noct._

  
“I’m not feeling so well… M’kinda scared.” Prompto continued to whine, tossing uneasily in his sleeping bag.

  
“You’ll be fine. It’ll wear off in a few more hours. Just try to fall back asl-“ Ignis continued his frivolous attempt in getting him to calm down.

  
“Iggy, I’m gonna be-“ Prompto sat up much too quickly for it to be just a little nausea.

  
Oh Astrals, no. That was _not_ happening in _here!_

  
Ignis suddenly didn’t care about whether or not he woke Noct up with his rough movements. _There was no way on Eos he was letting Prompto throw up in the tent!_

  
There wasn’t a spare second to put his glasses on as the blonde struggled to untangle himself from his sleeping bag and get out as rapidly as possible without kicking Gladio’s face on the way out. The moment Ignis was in arms reach of Prompto, he immediately gave him the basin he kept in the corner of the tent in case he wasn’t able to reach out of the haven in time.

  
He was so glad Prompto told him then and not any later, because he didn’t quite make it away from the glowing runes of the camp before the noodle soup he ate earlier made an unwelcome reappearance. Thankfully, the bowl he cradled in his arms caught his sickness, rather than the rocky terrain just outside of the tent.

  
He wasn’t as unwell as Gladio though, and only had the urge to empty his stomach a couple of times before he felt more refreshed.

  
Similarly to what he did with Gladio, Ignis went to check Prompto’s temperature when he felt comfortable enough lifting his face away from the half-filled basin. but unlike the large man, he was cold.

  
Too cold…

  
He knew Prompto was overreacting when he said he was dying, but Ignis needed to know whether or not Prompto was at risk of hypothermia, and summoned the first aid kit out of the Armiger in seek of a thermometer. Patiently, Ignis waited for until Prompto’s stomach to settle, before placing the metal stick into his mouth.

  
“33.4 - Is that bad?” The sharpshooters voice cracked a little bit upon the reading. Neither could tell whether it was from worry or his aching throat.

  
“Its lower than what it should be.” Ignis stared into the numbers, trying to think as to what he should do. Any lower than that could be dangerous to his long-term health.

  
He gently grabbed onto Prompto’s shivering arm and guided him back over to the dying fire pit, before sinking him into his chair, while Ignis fed the small embers to try and warm him up.

  
For someone who had woken up abruptly in the very early morning, Ignis had a surprising amount of energy. Once he had Prompto settled, he revived the fire to its original strength, fished out the blond’s blanket from the tent, and even managed to brew a warm mug of peppermint tea to help sooth Prompto’s stomach.

  
Setting the now clean basin back down next to Prompto, The bespectacled man took his seat next to him with a cup of Ebony in his hands. The chances of him getting back to sleep now were slim, even if he didn’t drink his coffee.

  
The silence between them as they sat around the fire was lengthy, although not awkward in the slightest, as it allowed both of them to listen to their surroundings in a flicker of peace. For Prompto, it was to the soothing crackles of the fire and gentle coo of the owls. Ignis, on the other hand; was better able to monitor the other two still sleeping in the tent, listening out for any sounds that called for his attention.

  
It didn’t take very long to get used to dealing with an unwell Prompto due to previous experiences back in Insomnia. Often, Ignis would find the blond a bit malnourished whenever they’d meet - since his parents were hardly ever present and the poor thing could barely afford to pay off the rent on his own - This resulted in him frequently ending up at Noct’s apartment at spontaneous hours, just so he had someone to be with. More often than not though, would he’d arrive in the afternoon, so that he could stay to enjoy a warm dinner with him and Specs.

  
They couldn’t blame him for that, either. Every meal with them was far more enjoyable than the ones he had in his own home - And it wasn’t just due to Iggy’s restaurant quality meals - But because he rarely ever ate with someone to keep him company.

  
Ignis ran his gloved fingers through his barely-gelled hair and checked his phone once more; 4:57am. Just four hours to go. As long as Gladio and Noct remained asleep until late in the day, he would be able manage everything else with ease. Shoving the device back into his coat pocket, Ignis twisted around to briefly check on the state of Argentum, only to find that at some point he - like Noctis - had fallen asleep. Clinging his blanket close to him in the coolness of the night, but no longer shivering.

  
As the warm orange glow of daylight started to fade away the twinkle of the stars, Ignis stood himself upright from tending the fire and stretched the muscles around his back and shoulders, trying to hold back a yawn as he bent back down to match the height of his sleeping comrade. Once again - placing the metal tip of the thermometer into Prompto’s half open mouth.

  
Patiently waiting for the reading to show, Scientia dared not to move his hand too much out of worry of waking him up. The sharpshooter was not the heaviest sleeper, but far from a light one as well.

  
As the little device produced a small mechanical beep, the Advisor carefully removed the thermometer from the freckled man’s mouth, being sure to stir him as little as possible as he squinted his eyes to read the numbers in the dark, dearly hoping for _some_ improvement.

  
36.9ºC. Thank the Astrals, he’s gone back up.

  
Dismissing the thermometer back into the Armiger, Ignis leant against the make shift kitchen with his fingers threaded through the handle of his third warm mug of Ebony. On occasion, he’d wake up at around dawn to get a head start on the day when everyone else was exhausted. Or at least that’s what he’d tell Gladio. The actual reason of his early bird behaviour was for the simple desire to watch the red glow of the sun rise and alter the colours of the night sky.

 

* * *

 

  
After what he could only assume was his fifth coffee, Ignis finally managed to finish cooking a hearty breakfast for his unwell companions and checked the time.

  
8:29am. Thank the Astrals. The eleven hours of agonising poison should have hopefully worn out of effect.

  
…Which probably meant that they are going to have the appetite of a garula.

  
Ignis could only hope he had cooked enough to sate their hunger for when they woke up. He was confident he made enough for Prompto and Noctis, but wasn’t so sure about Gladio, since the man ate far more than average as it were…

  
A loud rustle came from within the tent, accompanied by rather heavy footsteps that were steadily drawing closer.

  
Speak of The Infernian…

  
“You’re up early.” Ignis made no effort to turn and face Gladio as he continued cleaning his spatula covered in sticky egg.

  
“I thought I’d come check on you.” Gladio positioned himself next the stovetop where he could make eye contact with him.

  
“Shouldn’t it be the other way around?” The bespectacled man smirked. “I’m doing fine, Gladio.” He dropped the sponge into the soapy water and dried his hand on the dishcloth hanging underneath the bench.

  
The Shield realised he shouldn’t have flinched when Scientia suddenly pressed his palm against his forehead with a stern expression plastered on his face. He expected nothing less but for the stubborn man to put the health of his friends before his own as he checked his temperature - even though he looked absolutely exhausted himself.

  
“I’m okay now, Iggy.” Gladio rolled his eyes as he lightly swatted his hand away from his face, before his focus quickly turned to the colourful scent that filled his nose. “So, what have you been cooking up?”.

  
“Only something simple this morning, I’m afraid.” Ignis reached for the largest plate and handed it to Gladio for him to gawk at. “I wanted to make sure it wasn’t something too strenuous on your stomachs.”

  
“Birdbeast egg on toast, huh?” Honestly, Gladio would have happily eaten marlboro tentacles after the sickly experience last night. To have something that made his mouth water was just a bonus. “Smells good.” He didn’t even wait to sit down before picking the fork up and attacking his meal.

  
“I do hope the spices give it a bit more flavour.” Ignis added.

  
Ah, so _thats_ what was tickling his nostrils.

  
As the lean man went to join the eldest in eating breakfast, another familiar voice joined in company.

  
Prompto yawned loudly as he slowly unfolded himself from his chair and rubbed his neck, before dropping the basin that sat on his lap on the ground. “Save some for me as well, Iggy.”.

  
Standing himself upright, The freckled man stretched his limbs as far as they could go, leaving him on the tips of his toes and fingers reaching for the clouds as his body tried to wake up. “I could eat a anak, I’m so hungry.”.

  
“You seem to have perked up a bit since last night.” Ignis smiled, thankful that he could finally return to his normal duties as Noct’s Advisor, rather than a rusty field medic. “Good to know you weren’t actually dying.” Ignis chuckled, lifting the fork to parted lips.

  
Gladio nearly choked on egg when Prompto loudly pouted, “Your phone is bright, okay!” He made note to turn his quickly reddening face away from them when he walked to grab his plate off the plastic table. “… _And_ I was poisoned!” He added with an unnecessary amount of defence.

  
The tattooed man shot a cheeky smirk over at the stuttering blonde, “So was Noct and I. But we didn’t-“

  
“Speaking of!” Prompto interrupted, very obviously trying to deflect the subject as quickly as possible. “Where is he?”.

  
“Sleeping Beauty’s still napping his day away.” Amicitia gave a lazy nod over to the half open tent, where Noctis laid blissfully inside, his body sprawled across the empty space.

  
“Shouldn’t we probably wake him up then? We gotta make tracks soon, right Iggy?”.

  
Ignis’ resigned sigh was his response.

  
“All yours, if you wanna be the one to wake him up.” Gladio flourished his free hand exaggeratedly.

  
With a far too confident stance, Prompto firmly rested his hands onto hips and took a deep breath to psych himself up, before swaggering towards the tent. Ignis and Gladio knew from experience that it took a lot to wake up the notoriously sleepy prince - which quite often lead to a very unhappy one. To watch the youngest of their small group try to prove them wrong had Gladio trying to hide a mischievous grin.

  
“Hey, buddy? I’m sorry, but you gotta get up now.” The blonde started off gently, hoping that the sound of his voice would be enough to stir him.

  
Noctis remained undisturbed by his voice.

  
“Noct? C’mon dude, Iggy’s got breakfast made and its gonna get cold if you don’t get outta bed.” Prompto raised his voice a little louder. It seemed he really was a heavy sleeper.

  
He gave him about five seconds to reply before Prompto grabbed him by his forearms and forced him to sit upright, knowing full well that he knew this action would have consequences fueled by annoyance.

  
But when Noctis’s sky blue eyes didn’t flutter open and Prompto’s face wasn’t met with a angrily thrown pillow, he realised that something was wrong.

  
Prompto rested an arm behind his back to keep him upright as finally began to move on his own, even though he remained mostly silent, save for a few tired grunts.

  
His small motions quickly turned to jerks that didn’t seem very Noct-like; even if he was just tossing in his sleep. Eyes twitching under closed lids and breathing growing harsh.

  
“Um. Iggyyy?” The sharpshooter’s whine barely above a whisper as he placed a gentle hand underneath his fringe to check for a fever.

  
Noctis continued his stirring, getting more and more violent with each spasm as he started to make a horrible choking sound in the back of his throat. Prompto felt his stomach twist as he realised what was happening to his best friend and felt the urge to scream for help.

  
“ ** _Iggy_!**” That seemed to get a much faster reaction out of him as he suddenly appeared by his side after hearing the blond shriek and seeing the once calm prince convulsing in his arms. Gladio hot on his heels, entering the tent after him.

  
“ _Shit!_ ” Ignis wasted less than a moment in ordering the blond to lay Noctis back down onto his pillow, keeping his head on his side in case he started vomiting. “Get everything out of his way and for the love of Shiva- _Do not try to restrain him!_ ”.

  
“What do we do? There must be _something_ else we can do!” Prompto went white, petrified with guilt - even though he knew it wasn’t his fault.

  
But watching his friend thrash helplessly was something he could safely say he _never_ wanted to see.

  
“We wait for it to pass.” Ignis recalled in his first aid training that seizures usually only lasted at most, a few minutes. "The moment it ends - Gladio, I’ll need you to carry him.” The tattooed man nodded compliantly.

  
Thankfully; he was right, as the raven-haired man’s shaking started to die down until finally ceasing entirely. It may have only been one minute, but it was the most agonising minute of their lives to watch their dear friend struggle in his own skin.

  
On Ignis' instruction, Gladio scooped Noctis up into a carry and made way for the Regalia. Only after he was secured into his seat did Ignis wipe his face clean of the sweat and saliva with a damp handkerchief and check his breathing pattern by placing his ungloved hand in front of Noct’s mouth.

  
“The gap between his breaths are far too long. We need to get him to a hospital _now_.” Ignis’ tone was bordering frantic - something that scared Prompto and Gladio a lot because _Ignis was starting to panic._

  
Gladio remained silent as he got into the other side of the Regalia, trying to keep his cool as best as he could when Ignis couldn’t. Prompto practically dived into the passengers seat as though he was frightened of being left behind. As Ignis inserted the keys into the ignition, he caught a glimpse of Noctis in the rear view mirror.

  
His ghostly pale face leaned weakly against the Shield’s sturdy shoulder as he kept his arm wrapped around him securely. Being sure to jostle him as little as possible when his advisor tore out of the haven, blaring towards Lestallum with little care to the road rules.

  
No one said anything through the whole trip as they roared towards the town in what felt like a world record time. Prompto and Gladio would have normally been impressed that Ignis hit no obstacles despite the ludicrous speed he was travelling, but as the circumstances were, they were just glad to have arrived quickly.

  
Throwing the backseat door open to its hinges, Gladiolus scooped Noctis back into his hold before running him towards the town’s small clinic with his best friend and advisor by his side.

  
Completely unaware of the loud volume they were speaking at, the group entered the otherwise silent medical centre abruptly. Prompto could have sworn he saw the orange haired receptionist jump out of her skin upon their entry, before her fright quickly turned to worry for the young man lying weakly in the Shield’s arms. The slow rise and fall of his chest being the only indication that he was in fact, still alive - for his face lacked all colour and entire body limp.

  
“He’s been poisoned and needs medical attention, immediately!” Ignis answered before the woman was even given a chance to ask.

  
The receptionist blinked heavily at his rash behaviour, almost in disgust as she sat back down in her seat, suddenly not caring as much about the stranger’s health. “I’m afraid our doctors are quite busy at the moment. You’ll have to wait until-“ Gladio and Prompto’s eyes shot to Ignis as they heard him hiss a shaky and barely restrained breath through his teeth.

  
“ _We can not simply wait!_ ” He thundered. “He is the heir to the Lucian throne. For us to stand by doing nothing will only ensure a swift end to the royal bloodline!”.

  
The receptionist had no response as she stared blankly at the now visibly stressed advisor, realising who the men actually were and that they weren’t just a bunch of goons with a friend suffering from alcohol poisoning. Thankfully, a doctor that appeared to be in his late fifties must have heard the uproar from his office, because before anyone could argue further, he insisted on them moving the dying prince to his room for an analysis.

 

* * *

 

  
“Basilisk?” The doctor parroted as he continued to carefully slide the plastic tube down Noctis’s throat. “Gods, do you have a death wish?” He paused his motion for a second to stare daggers at all three of the young men. Clearly not impressed with what he was hearing.

  
“The poison should have worn out by now though, right Iggy?” Prompto shifted a bit behind Gladio, like a child trying to hide from a scolding parent.

  
“So I thought. Why he is still suffering when you and Gladio are not is what concerns me.” Ignis folded his arms and turned his head to his two other friends, but did not take his gaze off Noctis for a second.

  
“-A weaker immune system.” The accompanying nurse answered. “His immunity isn’t as strong as what it should be. This sometimes happens if he has a history of illness or injury.”.

  
Ignis winced. The Marilith attack when Noct was young.

  
The grim expression on his face told the medics that their assumptions were correct. “He’ll need a strong antidote to absorb what remains of the poison.”

  
The doctor handed the flexible pipe to his assistant for her to finish securing down the unconscious princes throat, before he crouched down to a clean white cabinet that sat beside the gurney. “Unfortunately, for this procedure to work effectively, he’ll need to have his stomach pumped first.”.

  
Prompto’s face tightened upon the suggestion. He had never had his stomach pumped himself, but from what he had heard, it was extremely unpleasant. He could only be thankful that Noct would be unconscious for the procedure, though.

  
“Aha.” The doctor announced, clearly finding what he was rummaging for.

  
Standing himself back upright, the doctor held out a black tinted bottle with a neatly printed label that read “Activated Charcoal” on the front. “This’ll take a while. We’ll contact you in an hour and you can come and pick him up. He’ll need rest for a few days though.”.

  
“We should probably organise accommodations if we’re going to be staying here, then.” Ignis sighed wearily, feeling the effects of his fifth ebony wearing off, leaving him feeling dry of energy.

 

* * *

 

  
Settling the last of their belongings down into the hotel room, the mattress creaked hideously when Ignis sunk himself onto the only-somewhat comfortable bed. Slouching over to lean on his knees, and head dropped into his hands, he let out another loud sigh. “You should probably rest, Iggy. You didn’t get much sleep last night, and coffee will only get you so far.” Gladio rested a firm hand on the advisor’s shoulder, tilting his neck slightly to be able to see Ignis’ face better through his gloved fingers.

  
“How could I have forgotten about that…?” The bespectacled man’s voice only just above a mumble. Taking a deep breath in through the nose, he lifted his head out of his palms, “I should have known that Noct’s injury would impact his long term health.” He let out a deep breath, “I shouldn’t have delayed in bringing him here sooner.”.

  
“We don’t expect to be able to do _everything_ , Iggy.” Prompto joined next to Gladio, “At least we know now how to handle it better if it happens again.”.

  
Bless Prompto, trying to find the silver lining in every scenario, no matter how bleak things seemed.

  
Ignis removed his glasses with one hand, rubbing his tear ducts in fatigue with the other. “C’mon Iggy - Get some rest. We’ll wake you when the clinic calls us back.” Gladio’s large hand left his shoulder to lightly pat him on the back.

  
“Not yet.” The advisor replaced his glasses on the bridge of his nose, “I need to get a couple of things first.”.

  
“If you need ingredients, we can buy them for you. Just tell us what you need“ Gladio insisted stubbornly.

  
Ignis shook his head, straightening himself up. “Thank you, but I need something very specific from the market. I doubt you and Prompto will be able to locate it easily.”.

  
The Shield shrugged in defeat. “Alright then. Don’t be too long - Prompto and I will be here when you come back.”.

 

* * *

 

  
“I cannot stress this enough, please; he needs rest for at least a couple of days. Don’t let him out of your sight unless its to use the bathroom and contact me immediately if he starts to show any irregularities.” The doctor handed Ignis a small business card with a phone number neatly printed in small text. “He should awaken soon.”

  
“You have our thanks.” Ignis graciously nodded, before following his comrades out of the clinic, heading back to the Leville.

  
As Gladio laid Noctis down on one of the two large beds in the rented room, Prompto couldn’t help but be relieved at how much colour his skin had again from the sickly pale he remembered earlier. Not to mention that the rise and fall of his chest seemed a lot more stable as well.

  
dropping himself on the other side of the mattress, Prompto lazily kicked his legs back and forth while staring at the creaky wooden floor, looking quite bored, frankly. “So…” He started awkwardly. “You guys wanna play cards or something?”.

  
Gladio huffed a weak smile, walking towards the round glass table that sat in the centre of the room, before slumping himself onto the cushioned ottoman in front to it. “Not much else we can do until sleeping beauty wakes up.”.

  
“I’ll fetch the cards then.” Ignis reached into his bag that sagged next to the table.

  
“…Deal me in as well, Specs.” Croaked a familiar voice.

  
All three of the Prince’s friends darted their eyes at him in shock. The doctor really wasn’t joking when he said that he’d wake up soon. They assumed he’d be out for at _minimum_ another hour - Not less than twenty minutes.

  
“You’re awake!” Prompto beamed suddenly, bouncing up from the bed to give him some extra space.

  
“I am dearly sorry, Your Highness.” Ignis apologised hastily before anyone could intervene. Obviously feeling a tremendous amount of guilt on his shoulders those past few hours.

  
“Save it, Iggy. It’s fine.” Noctis smiled tiredly as he slowly leaned himself upright against the bedhead.

  
“…So um, You don’t happen to have any more of that noodle soup left, do you?”.

  
Ignis chuckled softly. “I’ll see if I can whip something up for you thats a bit more appetising.”. The ash-blonde turned his attention back to the bag containing the deck of cards. “But before I do anything else, I need all of you to wear these.”.

  
Specs pulled out three star pendant’s from one of the front pockets of his bag, before handing it to the other party members. “Whats this?” Prompto queried.

  
“Something that’ll prevent you from being poisoned.” Ignis nodded towards Noctis. “I don’t _ever_ want to see you all that ill again.”.

  
Noctis fiddled with the pendant in his grasp, feeling somewhat responsible for Ignis’ relentless fretting. “Thanks, Iggy.” He finally managed.

  
“…We still playing cards? I gotta redeem myself after Gladio wiped the floor with us last time.” Prompto nudged Noctis’ arm playfully to get him to lighten up.

  
“You bet, buddy.”.


End file.
